


Friday the 13th? Friday the 13th!

by hkandi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Friday the 13th, Humor, M/M, Not the movie; the actual date, Superstition, The Author Regrets Nothing, What's that over there?, bad things keep happening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:55:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27551899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkandi/pseuds/hkandi
Summary: It's Friday the 13th, and unfortunate things just keep happening to and around Iruka. Is it Saturday the 14th yet???
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 14
Kudos: 81





	Friday the 13th? Friday the 13th!

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Iruka spotted a large dark brown, near black, dog as he approached the academy.

"Sensei," it said as he passed, and Iruka nodded, before pausing.

He frowned and blinked, then turned around to look at it.

Sure enough, the dog was looking at him.

"Did you just talk?" he asked the dog.

"Woof."

Iruka narrowed his eyes. The dog was large, and had quite the resting frown face.

"That didn't even sound like a bark..." Iruka accused it.

That being said, the dog then actually barked at him, and Iruka nodded, satisfied.

"That's more like it," he commented, then shook his head. "I shouldn't have stayed up late and then skipped coffee! Look at me, arguing with a dog," he grumbled to himself as he turned and entered the academy, the dog watching him leave.

____

"It's Friday the thirteenth!" one of the teachers sang, as Iruka entered the staff lounge.

"Not again," another sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"I think it's a full moon tonight," another said, shaking his head.

"You're not telling me you all actually believe in that stuff," Iruka admonished them as he went to grab a cup of coffee.

"Iruka!" the first teacher snapped. "Of course we do! All sorts of bad stuff happens today, just you wait."

"Oh, I already know," Iruka said. "One Friday the thirteenth I fell into a puddle of mud. But, it's just another day," he commented, turning to grab sugar for his coffee.

"Look out!" someone called out, and Iruka sharply turned his head just in time to see his coffee pouring through a crack in the cup.

"No, no, no!" Iruka cried.

"And that was our last pot," the superintendent announced as they left. "Supplies haven't come in yet. Someone will need to pick more up on your way in Monday."

Iruka inhaled and exhaled deeply, before scrunching his face up. "Shinobi don't cry about not having coffee," he reminded himself. "Shinobi don't cry about not having coffee..."

"Friday the thirteenth," someone called out, and Iruka flipped them off as he wiped the counter.

______

The mood in the staff lounge had deepened, worsened at lunchtime.

"All my chalk pieces broke," someone said. "Even when I reinforced them with chakra! How embarrassing! Then all my ink had dried up too, suddenly!"

"Quite a series of unfortunate events," another teacher mused, and the group looked at them. 

"Isn't that a book series?" Iruka asked, laughing. 

"So? It fits, for today!"

"Well, you're lucky," another said. "My chair broke. Right when I was about to sit down."

"You think that's bad?" Iruka sighed. "I have target practice with my class this afternoon..."

The collective worried look the others had for him was well deserved, Iruka thought, as he dismissed his class later that day.

His students were already riled up on Fridays, but it seemed the nice weather plus being outside, with the addition of semi-sharp, fairly pointy things to throw just made them plain giddy.

And, needless to say, as pre-genin, they had quite the ways to go with building their aim and speed, something that was reinforced via a new tear in Iruka's flak vest, and a bandage on his right forearm.

"Maybe I should start wearing gauntlets on days like this," he said to himself as he cleaned up the classroom. "It would have been worse if that dog hadn't barked and gotten my attention at just the right time..."

Iruka thought about it, and reflected that it looked like the same dog as that morning.

But why would it follow him around? First outside of the academy, then on the grounds during target practice, and he swore he caught a glimpse of it by a tree outside just now, as he looked out the window.

Frowning, he mentally shook it off. Surely it was just his imagination.

No, he reasoned. It was likely just a stray attracted by the sights, sounds, and smells of the academy.

"That must be it," he said to himself, resuming cleaning. "Kids, food, grass. Everything dogs love, probably."

He pushed it out of his head as he finished cleaning and headed to his shift at the missions office, where the date was yet again a topic of discussion.

"This is usually a pretty terrible day," Genma said, as he and Raidou turned in reports to Iruka.

"Agreed," Raidou said. "Remember when you actually swallowed a senbon? It was funny, until it wasn't..."

Genma shuddered at the memory. "And then there was the year you got food poisoning," he said to Raidou, who nodded.

"Then the year we were both sent on the mission with unseasonable flash flooding, and we were up to our knees in mud because our chakra wouldn't stick to the rushing waters..."

Iruka shook his head. "And here I thought getting cut by a student's kunai and being stalked by a dog all day was bad!"

"A dog?" Genma asked, laughing. "What are you talking about?"

"Some big, dark dog has been watching me here and there," Iruka said, as he continued to review the reports. "It's probably nothing."

"I read a story once where a big black dog followed someone and it turned out to be a hell hound, or something like that," Izumo said, as he leaned over from his desk to grab one of Iruka's stamps.

Iruka raised an eyebrow at him, before laughing. "I doubt it. Probably just some stray, though it must eat well to be that big."

"A dog like that would be noticed in Konoha," Raidou offered. "Did it have a collar or anything?"

Iruka thought about it but shook his head as he stamped the reports.

"Maybe it's a person in disguise, stalking you," Genma teased. "Waiting to get you alone, and boom! You're done!"

Izumo, Iruka, and Raidou looked at him with mixed looks of disgust, concern, and alarm.

"What?" Genma said, shrugging. "It could happen."

"I hope not," Iruka said. "But clearly, if I go missing, Genma should be the first person brought in for questioning."

"I know nothing!" the tokubetsu protested. "Honest!"

"Let's go," Raidou sighed, pulling Genma away. "Before Iruka kills both of us."

"Wouldn't that be just like Friday the thirteenth," Genma sighed, as Iruka rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why people even bother with all of this," he said to Izumo.

"Superstitions are fun," Izumo suggested. "Makes life interesting."

"We're shinobi," Iruka laughed. "Our lives are interesting enough."

____

Iruka was only too happy for his shift to end, though nine thirty on a Friday night was still a drag, as one of his students would say.

To his surprise, the dog was outside Hokage Tower.

If Iruka didn't know better, he'd have almost thought the dog was waiting for him, as it seemed to perk up when it saw him.

"Hello again," he said, bending over to offer a hand to pet it. "Look at you, you've got a collar now!" he said, noting a large spiked collar around its neck. "Still no tag though, I'm not sure who you belong to. But, it's nice, either way."

"Thank you, sensei," the dog said in a gruff voice.

"You can talk?!" Iruka said, standing upright in shock.

The dog's eyes darted left and right before it gave a doggy shrug.

"Okay, what's going on?" Iruka demanded. "Who or what are you?"

"I'm probably in trouble," the dog sighed. "Care to follow me?"

"Uh, follow a random dog who's talking to me? On a Friday night? Yeah, I don't think so," Iruka said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I'm a Konoha ninken, and the pack are really going to tear into me," the dog said, scrunching its face into an even bigger droopy frown, that under any other circumstances would be quite comical.

"The pack?" Iruka repeated. "You're an Inuzuka?"

"No," the dog said. "Please come with me? We'll stick to main streets, honest!"

Iruka looked around as he thought about it. It was quite early, for a Friday night, so if he kept a safe distance from the dog, and they stuck to main streets, populated ones, he was probably fine.

Or so he hoped.

Still, against his better judgement, he nodded, seeing as he had no other plans. Some dangerous plans, he reasoned, were better than no plans at all on a Friday night. So, they set off, meandering around the village until they were across the street from Ichiraku's.

"Well?" Iruka asked.

"There," the dog said, nodding towards the ramen shop. "Go on."

Iruka ran a hand through his ponytail. He was hungry, and ramen was always a good choice...and it was one of the safest places in Konoha...

"Fine," he said. "I better get some answers though."

"You will," the dog said. "I think. Probably. Good luck!" it called out as Iruka walked away.

"Luck? Why do I need good luck?" the teacher called back, but the dog had left.

"Stupid superstitious night," Iruka muttered to himself as he patted his weapons pouch to take a quick inventory of its contents, just in case.

Iruka entered and greeted Ayame, who waved to him as she finished with another customer. He sat at a stool at the far right, the only one open, and had just placed his order with her when the person to his left paid their bill and left.

Iruka cupped his tea with both hands while he thought about the day.

"Rough day?" someone asked, settling in the seat next to him, and Iruka looked up.

"Hello, Kakashi-san," Iruka greeted the copy nin. They spoke here and there, as Kakashi often popped up in Iruka's line at the missions office, and the Hokage had in secret divulged that the older man may be available as a jonin sensei for Iruka's upcoming class. Which of his students he would suggest for him, however, he wasn't sure yet. But he enjoyed their interactions, no matter how brief they were at times.

"No formalities needed, please," Kakashi said, waving it away. "The usual, thanks," he said to Ayame, who smiled as she looked at the two men sitting together.

Iruka wrinkled his brow as he noticed this, before realizing Kakashi had asked him something. "Hmm?"

"Your arm, I was asking what happened."

"Oh, this," Iruka said, laughing. "My students were...rambunctious...at target practice. That, and the fact it's Friday the thirteenth, depending on who you ask."

"That old story?" Kakashi sighed. "Lame, really."

"I agree!" Iruka said, excited someone shared his thoughts about it. "Though, something strange did happen today!"

"Go on," Kakashi drawled.

Iruka leaned towards him and told him all about the dog, up until their most recent exchange.

"What do you think about all that?" Iruka asked, once he had finished.

Kakashi's visible eyebrow arched slightly. "I think someone's in trouble," he said.

"What?" Iruka asked, just as he felt a weight against his leg.

Looking down, he saw the dog from before, his new friend. Only this time, in addition to its collar, it was wearing a blue vest with a henohenomoheji on it, the face of which was smiling up at Iruka. 

The dog itself looked up at Iruka from where it was leaning its head on his leg, and gave him sad eyes.

"Bull, don't use puppy dog eyes on Iruka, they won't work," Kakashi admonished it, but Iruka reached down to scratch his head.

"Hello Bull, don't be sad," Iruka cooed, and Bull stuck his tongue out at Kakashi. "Wait, you know him?" he asked the copy nin.

Kakashi shrugged. "I do."

"How?"

"I'm part of his pack," Bull rumbled, still receiving head scratches. "Sorry about today, boss."

"Maa, I knew you were too big for the job."

"What job? What's going on?" Iruka asked, trying to keep his voice and himself calm.

"Nothing," Kakashi said, but his summons butted in.

"Boss had us watch you this week, well, more than a week," Bull informed Iruka. "But the others are smaller and hide better than me in village environments."

"You had dogs follow me?" Iruka hissed. "Are you kidding me?"

"Ninken, not just any dog," Kakashi pointed out. "And you said yourself, you're grateful he got your attention when the rogue kunai was headed for you."

"I'm appreciative, Bull, but Kakashi, that's not the point," Iruka argued. "What were you thinking?"

"Nothing," Kakashi said, but again, Bull took charge.

"He wanted us to see what you get up to in your free time, and in your daily routine. Get information on you he was scared to ask."

"I hate you," Kakashi sighed. "Bull, not you," he clarified to Iruka, just as their food arrived.

They ate in silence, both grateful for the reprieve from the turn of events.

Finally, Iruka spoke.

"Why did you want to know about me? And why not just ask me?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Just because."

Iruka frowned, and they ate in silence again.

"Well, it's not fair," the teacher suddenly said. "I've wanted to know about you, too, but I don't have cute dogs to follow you."

"If you did, I'd only be that much more interested," Kakashi reflected.

"Though, I don't think I noticed anyone before Bull," Iruka said, thinking out loud.

"Well then, I suppose you should meet the rest of the pack," Kakashi suggested.

"Next time," Iruka said, smiling into his food. "Let's take tonight for us, since we're already out to dinner. You can buy me ice cream after this, to make up for spying on me."

"Anytime," Kakashi purred, and Bull quietly left the two of them to eat in peace, congratulating himself on a job [finally] well done.

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea in my head last night but couldn't get to writing this until later at night on Friday, where I wrote it in one sitting and yes, with a few beers. I regret nothing! See, I'm a stickler for dates, so if I didn't get it in tonight (and it's quite late at night), I'd have to wait until August 2021 for the next Friday the 13th, and after that, not til May 2022, in case anyone was wondering. But, that's just me and my being particular about posting things on the right date....and, after all that, it's still not yet the 14th in my time zone, but AO3 already has it listed on the 14th...sigh...
> 
> Let's connect, I'm on [tumblr](https://hkandiu.tumblr.com/)


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